


A Whisper In The Night

by Eliyes



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon, Episode Related, Episode: s04e20 The Last Man
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-14
Updated: 2013-11-14
Packaged: 2018-01-01 10:52:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 790
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1043964
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eliyes/pseuds/Eliyes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lorne thinks about what he's done.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Whisper In The Night

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted on Livejournal September 7, 2008.
> 
> There's an untagged pairing here because I didn't want to spoil it.

Evan Lorne stared unseeingly at the dark ceiling of his bedroom and thought about time. He knew that the timeline he lived in had been changed on more than one occasion by people he personally knew. Elizabeth Weir, for one. What would his life have been if she hadn't gone back ten thousand years and prevented Atlantis from winding up flooded and sunk forever? Hell, the members of SG-1 had changed things two or three times each that he knew of, and God knew how many times that left no evidence. And that wasn't even counting interacting with other timelines, other realities...  
  
"You're thinking so hard I can smell your hair burning," his wife whispered in his ear, and he smiled in the darkness.  
  
"Sorry."  
  
"What is it? Because I'm pretty sure I put a moratorium on bringing the worries of the entire galaxy to bed."  
  
"I know. I'm actually worrying about another galaxy tonight."  
  
Today, Dr. Rodney McKay arrived back in Atlantis for the first time in two decades and change, and Lorne had sent him there. He'd signed off on the authorization for McKay's project, knowing that what the scientist planned was a Hell of a lot more than 'reprogramming the holographic history tutor to add the expedition's history to it's lessons'. He'd called in favours and got it pushed through anyway. He'd take his share of the heat if McKay got caught, God help him.  
  
"Is this about Rodney?"  
  
Lorne huffed out the ghost of a laugh.  
  
"Should have known not to try to hide anything from you."  
  
"Yes, you should have," she agreed tartly. "I know you too well -- both of you."  
  
He hummed in affectionate agreement.  
  
"What bothers you more," she asked after a pause, "the idea that this scheme of his might work -- or that it might not?"  
  
"I'm honestly not sure," he admitted. "If it does work --"  
  
"It might not change much," she pointed out. "Teyla might still be found too late, Michael might still run roughshod over Pegasus, and the IOA might still cut off Atlantis' balls." She had never been happy with the changes bureaucracy brought to the Stargate program. He used to tease her about it, say she just missed the explosions.  
  
"Sheppard would be there," he said. "Even if the rest of it happened, that would make a difference."  
  
"Well, yeah," she agreed easily. "Maybe he'd fight the IOA's changes, or maybe he'd resign, or, Hell, maybe he'd die --" Her tone indicated that she found that more likely, and Lorne silently had to agree. "But I guess that, regardless, Rodney wouldn't spend the rest of his life trying to get him back. That could significantly alter the course of human scientific achievement, but don't ever tell him I think so."  
  
He heard the joke but didn't respond, stinging eyes shut as his skin raised in gooseflesh. He wanted to protest that it wasn't just Sheppard that McKay wanted to save, that Sheppard was just the means to saving Teyla and Ronon and Jennifer Keller, Atlantis, Pegasus -- everything. But he knew she would argue and what's more, he knew she'd win. He remembered McKay standing on an alien space station, frantically working to open a hatch despite his bulky space suit, insisting that his team would not leave a man behind. At the time, Lorne had been amused to hear a soldier's creed coming from McKay, of all people, but in a way it had been Atlantis' motto -- thanks to Sheppard, and Sheppard's team.  
  
He changed the subject.  
  
"If he succeeds, it might change a lot. I might not come back as soon, or at all. You and I..."  
  
"Hey," she said softly. "You're worried we'll never get married? Really?"  
  
"It had come to mind."  
  
"Don't be. If we're meant to be, we'll get together."  
  
"I wish I had your faith."  
  
"Don't be an idiot, of course you do. When it comes to the important things. Besides, for all you know, I'll go back to Atlantis this time around and fall into your arms. Then I'd never get caught in that building collapse on P3X-744."  
  
He let out a shaky laugh.  
  
"Maybe."  
  
"It doesn't matter anyway."  
  
"It doesn't?"  
  
"Whether this works or not," she clarified. "Because nothing's going to happen at all until you're long gone. So stop worrying about it, and get some sleep. You've got the rest of your life to deal with yet."  
  
He took a deep breath.  
  
"You're right. Thanks, Laura."  
  
"That's what I'm here for." He thought he could hear the smile in her voice.  
  
"I wish you were," he whispered, curling onto her side of the bed, empty these long years past. He hugged a pillow to his chest. "I really wish you were."


End file.
